An elaborate robbery last year that netted a stickup crew over $200,000 might have gone unsolved if one of the robbers hadn't thanked the special effects company that unwittingly helped cover their tracks.

The men from Queens New York, Edward Byam, 24, and Akeem Monsalvatge, 37, staked out the Pay O Matic for weeks before they pounced. To hide their identities, they bought Hollywood quality silicone masks from a company called CFX. The masks were combined with some police uniforms, so when the men forced their way into the check cashing store, every witness was convinced they were white guys, if not real cops.

Side bar, before you ask why real cops would be committing armed robbery, you should watch our previous animation about a couple of wise guys on the Detroit police force.

The crew got away, and might not have been caught, if Edward Byam hadn't emailed CFX to thank them for making such great masks. When police got a clue that the culprits might have been in disguise, they eventually zeroed in on CFX as the supplier. Even though CFX sold the crew a couple of stock masks, they were able to identify them thanks to the email. Their fate was really sealed when the police took a photo the men left behind to the Walmart where it was developed, and got the owner's contact phone number. The photo was a picture of a Pay O Matic employee's house, which they used to threaten her not to talk. Spoiler alert, she did.

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